1. World Water Council & World Water Forum

The World Water Council (WWC) is an international association based in France, whose mission is to raise awareness on critical water issues, to generate decisions and actions and to create political commitment for a world in which water is available for the population in sufficient quantity and quality to allow sustainable human development. It thus aims to foster the sustainable management and use of water resources.
Headquartered in Marseille, France, and created in 1996, the World Water Council brings together over 300 member organizations from more than 50 different countries throughout the world according to five colleges (Intergovernmental institutions; Government and government authorities; Enterprises and facilities; Civil society organizations and water user associations; Professional associations and academic institutions).
The World Water Council is the creator and owner of the World Water Forum, which serves to bring together this great diversity of stakeholders and others striving for the same goals. More on http://www.worldwatercouncil.org

The World Water Forum is an international event, organized every three years by the World Water Council in collaboration with the authorities of the host country and the host city (Brazil and the city of Brasília for the 8th edition).
It is the largest water-related event in the world, aimed at putting water firmly on the international agenda. A three-year preparatory process culminates in one week of sessions, debates and cultural activities, where water experts come together with policy makers and civil society.
The Forum, thus, aims to:
a) Engage stakeholders in mobilizing debate on and action for water, open to all parties in developing a shared vision;
b) Provide a platform for all stakeholders to exchange, learn together, develop partnerships, and catalyze concrete actions for improved water resources and services development and management;
c) Engage policy and decision-makers in a dialogue to establish commitments for improved water resources and service development;
d) Increase awareness for water issues towards the public-at-large, particulaly through the media.
In the 8th World Water Forum, various issues will be discussed through thematic, political, regional, citizens’ and sustainability processes. In addition to the processes, the Expo, Fair and side events will offer additional opportunities to engage in the 8th World Water Forum.
For more information on the outcomes of the previous editions, go to the Forum section of http://www.worldwatercouncil.org

The World Water Forum is the largest water-related event in the world that addresses a wide range of water-related topics in participation with all stakeholders. Its preparation requires two years of efforts with hundreds of organizations around the world.
While other fora or conferences focus on specific topics with specialized experts which are generally characterized by the events themselves, the World Water Forum seeks to share innovative solutions through wide range multi-stakeholder discussions. In addition, the World Water Forum strives to establish concrete and feasible systems through political commitments emanating from discussions with international leaders, ministers, parliamentarians, etc.
While most conferences deal with one specific subject, the World Water Forum is a global event aiming to cover thematic and critical water issues and their related causes or impacts (such as climate change and its consequence on migration, to name just one).

While the World Water Fora are not UN meetings, the Forum involves many UN institutions, such as UNESCO, UNDP and FAO, all members of UN Water, each of which is responsible for particular processes and outputs, both political and thematic, throughout the Forum.
Furthermore, the United Nations system contributes to the Forum as a platform for many of its activities, such as its Your Voice Consultation Platform, among others.

The World Water Forum aims to discuss water challenges around the world in cooperation with all stakeholders and acknowledging its importance to the world. After the 1st World Water Forum in Marrakech in 1997, the World Water Forum has been held every three years.
The World Water Fora should be regarded, not as stand-alone events, but as successive stepping stones to a more secure, sustainable, and equitable water distribution, where one edition builds on the accomplishments of the previous one.
It is also an opportunity to raise the discussion on water to a new level, a higher level, calling all stakeholder to discuss water not only as a cross cutting element, but also as a fundamental element for our development, considering climate change, extreme events on water - floods and droughts, water security, among others.

2. The 8th World Water Forum

The 8th World Water Forum will be hosted by the Federal Government of Brazil, The city of Brasília, in a jointly organization with the World Water Council, from March 18 to 23, 2018.
The main venue is the Ulysses Guimarães Convectional Center, the venue for the thematic, regional and political discussions. The Citizens’ Forum, the Exposition and the Fair will be held at the Mané Garrincha National Stadium, just 300 meters away from the Conventions Center.

Yes, the overarching theme for the 8th Forum is “Sharing Water”.
This theme reflects the essence and spirit expected to permeate all preparations for the 8th Forum and, more especially, its benefits and outcomes.
The aim is to stress the link between the 8th Forum and its predecessors, giving continuity to the succession of events, eliciting cumulative global responses to water-resources management issues, and raising awareness of the importance of rational and sustainable water use.
“Sharing Water” - implies: sharing of ideas among civil society; sharing of the best practices and solutions; sharing the benefits of rational water use and; more broadly, sharing actions and responsibilities among nations.

Following a thorough selection process, the World Water Council selects a host country and city from a number of candidates, approximately three years prior to the event. All candidatures must be supported by the governmental authorities of the country.
The authorities of the host country and the World Water Council then establish an International Steering Committee (ISC) for the Forum, composed equally of representatives from the country and the WWC. This ISC is supported by 5 commissions, namely the Thematic Process, Political Process, Regional Process, Citizens’ Forum and, as an innovation for this 8th edition, a Sustainability Focal Group.
The ISC oversees the organization of the Forum and provides guidance on the work of the Commissions and a Secretariat is established in Brasília, consisting of staff from different disciplines to support all the activities related to the Forum.

The 8th World Water Forum will be a place where experts, public policy-makers, decision-makers and representatives of business and civil society and other stakeholder groups have equal opportunities to exchange innovative ideas and their practical applications.
Participants will have excellent opportunities to interact with a broad network, share their opinions and experiences, finalize their on-going projects and present their ideas, services and products. Everyone is welcome to attend.
The 8th World Water Forum welcomes all of you as an open platform accessible to all.

The experiences that are shared at the World Water Forum and the local actions that are presented can benefit your country through their reproduction in other places and in other contexts.
One of the main goals of the Forum is also to create awareness and commitment from decision-makers on water issues. The impact it has on politicians, especially through the Ministerial conference, will hopefully benefit each country concretely since authorities will improve their legislation, thereby enhancing sound management of water resources and infrastructures, resolution of water-related conflicts, pro-poor policies, etc.
It is also a unique opportunity for you to enhance your knowledge on water related issues.

Considering previous editions of the World Water Forum and its preparatory process, as well as the fact that people’s interest in water has been growing, some 40,000 participants are expected, not only for the five days event, but also for all preparatory meetings, processes and consultations, such as the Kick-off Meeting, the 2nd Stakeholders' Consultations, among others.

Registrations are already open.
Early registrations will benefit from a discount on registration fees. Online registrations will be accessible through the Forum website http://www.worldwaterforum8.org
Off-line registrations will also be possible through the Forum’s registration desk, only during the event week, in March 2018.

The Program was launched on December 6, 2017 and will support the participation of some 200 representatives of civil society in the Forum who are primarily involved in the preparatory process and do not have the financial means to participate.

The deadline for applications is January 5, 2018. The email address for questions or clarifications is citizen.sponsorship@worldwaterforum8.org

All information is available and regularly updated on the 8th World Water Forum website: www.worldwaterforum8.org. A regular newsletter will be soon developed, to which you can also subscribe through the website.
We will also provide information regularly through our social networks. Follows us on facebook.com/WorldWaterForum8 and twitter.com/WaterForum8
All this information will be made available in both English and Portuguese.

3. The Program

During the 8th World Water Forum week, a full program of sessions will be offered by each process (Thematic, Regional, Political, and Sustainability).
A Citizens’ Forum, a ministerial conference and other political encounters will be organized. Additional exhibits and activities will be offered in the Expo and Fair as well.
Various local water festivals, social events and experiences will also be linked with the Forum.

The thematic process is guided and supervised by its Commission that has the responsibility to develop the overall thematic framework and beware that it has to properly reflect the international water agenda and the theme of the Forum “Sharing Water”.
The Thematic Process should adhere to some relevant linkages such as:
• The overall theme of the 8th Forum “Sharing Water” and the Sustainability Process;
• The SDGs on water goals and the Paris Climate Agreement;
• The implementation Roadmap resulting from the 16 themes of the 7th Forum in Korea; and
• A full integration with the other processes for the 8th Forum.
The Thematic Commission consists of a Chair, indicated by WWC and Vice-Chair, indicated by Brazil, and 3 members from each of WWC and Brazil.

The thematic framework is composed of six themes and three cross-cutting issues and respective topics, as listed below:
a. Climate – water security and climate change:
i) Managing risk and uncertainty for resilience and disaster preparedness.
ii) Water and adaptation to climate change.
iii) Water and climate change mitigation.
iv) Climate science and water management: the communication between science and decision/policy making.
b. People – water, sanitation and health:
i) Enough safe water for all.
ii) Integrated sanitation for all.
iii) Water and public health.
c. Development – water for sustainable development:
i) Water for Food.
ii) Water for Energy.
iii)Inclusive and sustainable growth, water stewardship and industry.
iv) Efficient use of surface water and groundwater - urban and rural.
v) Infrastructure for sustainable water resource management and services.
d. Urban – integrated urban water and waste management:
i) Water and cities.
ii) The circular economy – reduce, reuse, recycle.
iii) Treatment and reuse technologies.
e. Ecosystems – water quality, ecosystem livelihoods and biodiversity:
i) Managing and restoring ecosystems for water services and biodiversity.
ii) Natural and engineered hydrological systems.
iii) Water and land use.
iv) Ensuring water quality from ridge to reef.
f. Financing – financing for water security:
i) Economics and financing for innovative investments.
ii) Financing implementation of water-related SDGs and adaptation to climate change.
iii) Finance for sustainable development – supporting water-friendly business.
The three cross-cutting issues and respective topics are presented below:
g. Sharing – Involving stakeholders at all levels for sharing water benefits:
i) Sharing solutions and good practices.
ii) Involving all: public, private, civil society – women and men – young and old, in bottom up and top down approaches.
iii) Water cultural diversity, justice and equity.
h. Capacity – Education, capacity building and technology exchange:
i) Enhancing education and capacity building.
ii) Science and technology – 7th World Water Forum S&T Process.
iii) Information and communications technology and monitoring.
iv) International cooperation.
i. Governance – Water Governance for the 2030 Development Agenda:
i) SMART implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management.
ii) Cooperation for reducing conflicts and improving transboundary water management.
iii) Effective Governance: Enhanced political decisions, stakeholder participation and technical information.

This is the online consultation platform for the preparatory process of the 8th World Water Forum.
The use of this tool is an innovation compared to the previous editions, as it extends and facilitates the access of people to discussions regarding the thematic program.
This online consultation will make the forum more democratic, since it is the biggest event on water and will give voice to all stakeholders in the world. During the 8th Forum week, more than 200 debates and lectures will take place.
Therefore, the goal is to give voice to all segments of the population, particularly those who, in general, do not have the right means and appropriate contacts to be heard. It is important to note that the online consultation does not eliminate the need of face-to-face meetings, but offers the possibility that these meetings have a diverse audience contributions.

Anyone with internet access, anywhere in the world, can participate in the online consultation. All you have to do is go to the website of the 8th Forum and register.
From this registration, the person chooses on which of the six rooms of discussion based on the thematic framework that would like to participate and interact with other interested parties, with the assistance of trained moderators.
The online consultation platform is prepared to receive contributions in 90 languages, among those most talked in the world.

People can contribute with their views or personal experiences on the selected topics, responding to the questions previously established and offering their opinions, testimonials, suggestions and examples.
There is no need for any type of training or expertise to participate in the consultation.

Key questions were formulated for each theme. The contributions will generate discussions and exchanges of information and opinions among the participants, in an open and participatory process mediated by experts in each room.
Successful examples brought to the room will help with the approach of the 8th World Water Forum.

The Regional Process has as its core the development, analysis and presentation of case studies related to sustainable water resources management issues at the regional level. This is different from the Thematic Process, which will take a more analytical/theoretical approach.
Following as a guide to the Thematic Process of the Forum, the Regional Process will incorporate local and regional perspectives throughout its own preparatory process as well as other processes and events related to the 8th Forum.
The structure of the Regional Process of the 8th World Water Forum will be primarily based on six larger geographic areas, or Regions, and in some cases, where appropriate and up to the decision of the Regional Design Groups, these six Regions will be divided into sub-Regions.
The six regions are: Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Arab Region, Europe and Mediterranean.

The political process aims to bring together politicians and elected officials from all over the world, responsible not only for water, environment, agriculture or energy policies, but also for finance and other domains, in order to create an understanding on the urgency of the implementation of positive and pro-active policies on water issues.
The political process of the Forum has three sub-processes related to: Ministerial, Parliamentarians, and Local Authorities.
The role of the Political Process Commission is:
i) to conceive a preparatory process developing, in coordination with the Forum´s Thematic and Regional processes and other Commissions the agenda for the three sub-processes sessions during the Forum;
ii) to supervise and guide the organization of the high level political segment, as well as the Parliamentarian and Local and Regional Governments sessions; and
iii) to facilitate the negotiation of the Political Declaration of the Forum.

In order to prepare the political process of the Forum, the Political Process Commission should:
• Ensure continuity with the political processes and achievements of previous World Water Fora;
• Establish a dialogue with a wide array of stakeholders to ensure ownership of the Forum and of its political processes, and take into account their contributions when developing the process;
• Consult with other governments and relevant international organizations to ensure a good coordination of the Ministerial process of the Forum with other global political processes related to water;
• Take into account the work of the other commissions and processes, particulaly the thematic process, in the development of the agenda and political debates of the Forum.

The Citizen’s Forum is a platform for encouraging creative and effective participation of civil society, organized or otherwise, by which is meant NGOs, citizens, local communities, farmers, businesspersons and indigenous movements, gender and youth, among others.
The Citizens’ Forum is structured in two different regions: Americas and International, working in close collaboration, and aims to bring innovative practices and experiences from all over the world, aligned with the other processes.
One of the most important task of the Citizens’ Forum Commission is to assist in facilitating participation of the different non-state actors in this process. A Sponsorship Program for eligible participants will be soon available.

Every edition of the previous Fora brings an innovative process to its program. For this edition, Brazil suggested the inclusion of the Sustainability Forum on the agenda of the main event with the objective to attract contributions and suggestions on water-related themes and their social, economic and environmental importance, from the standpoints of different stakeholders and institutional sectors.
It consists of promoting discussions on the various aspects of sustainable use of water resources, in light of existing multilateral commitments, and examination of current challenges, especially in countries with fragile sectorial institutions or that suffer significant shortfalls, including difficulties of access to drinking water.
It is also cross-cutting to all other processes of the 8th World Water Forum.

The 8th World Water Forum is about Sustainability. This means that sharing and monitoring are the overall directive for all aspects of the Forum to promote more sustainable water management.
The 8th Forum will set a legacy for what is considered Sustainability for Water, building of course on the decades of efforts of institutions across the globe past and present.
Sharing and monitoring will help bring stakeholders to work together in an integrated way so that by 2030, when the world examines progress on SDG Goal 6 and the other water-related targets, the state of our water resources meet economic, social and environmental needs for generations to come.

We are glad with your interest in participating, but all the sessions has already been filled.
By the way, if you want to show an innovative idea, subscribe your project in Solutions Market, the best ones will win a booth to present the projects.
Another option is to rent your own space to make a Side Event. Click here to read more about it.

4. Water Expo and Fair

Yes, the Expo & Fair for the 8th World Water Forum will take place at the Mané Garrincha National Stadium, just 300 meters away from the Ulysses Guimarães Conventions Center, main venue of the Forum. The planned exhibition space is over 20,000 m².

Public agencies, private enterprises, NGOs, and many other types of institutions and organizations can be represented.
The Expo and Fair is designed as a place where participants can share information and experiences on water-related issues.

5. Logistics

The City of Brasilia has more than 50 hotels and some 10,000 hotel rooms, accounting for 20,000 beds in the central area known as Plano Piloto, all of them no farther than 2 km from the suggested event venues for the 8th World Water Forum in 2018, namely: the Ulysses Guimarães Conventions Center and the Mané Garrincha National Stadium.
Aside from these currently available hotel facilities located near the suggested event venues, an additional 1,000 rooms are under construction. Moreover, at a slightly greater distance, there are an addition of 800 currently available hotel rooms.
A booking system will be available on the 8th Forum official website.

Located merely 15 km from the heart of the City and with easy access to the city center by taxi or air-conditioned bus, Brasilia’s Aeroporto Internacional Juscelino Kubitscheck, besides serving as a domestic hub with connecting flights to all regions of Brazil, handles a significant number of international direct flights to destinations such as Lisbon/Portugal, Lima/Peru, Montevideo/Uruguay, Atlanta and Miami/USA, and Panama City/Panama.
In terms of annual passenger flows, according to the Brazilian Airport Authority (INFRAERO) in 2015, it was Brazil’s 2nd busiest International Airport, with some 20 million passengers.

6. Investments

Hosting the World Water Forum requires the management of a huge process including preparation, execution and follow-up. The Forum’s content is progressively developed through continuous preparatory meetings during a preparatory period in previous years.
Approximately 40% of the estimated amount will be provided by the Brazilian authorities (Federal Government and Federal District Government), 40% from sponsorships and 20% from registration fees, fees for Expo and Fair exhibitors.

The participation of representatives from less developed countries will be encouraged and supported, since therein lie many of the world’s major water challenges.
Therefore, 8th World Water Forum Participation Support Guidelines will be prepared to help ensure the presence of participants from developing countries, in accordance with previous sponsorship programs.

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The World Water Forum is the world’s biggest water-related event and is organized by the World Water Council (WWC), an international organization that brings together all those interested in the theme of water.